Nonresident Attorneys

In-house Counsel - Senior Law Students. (a) Pro Hac Vice Admissions. Any attorney who is a member in good standing of the bar of any other state, not resident in this state, whether practicing in such other jurisdiction as an individual or a member or employee of a limited liability entity authorized to practice law in such jurisdiction, may, upon special and infrequent oc- casion and for good cause shown upon a written miscellaneous petition presented by a member of the bar of this state, be permitted in the discretion of this Court, or such other court to which authority is delegated, to participate to such an extent as the court may prescribe in the presentation of a cause or appeal in this or any court, tribunal, commission, board, or agency in this state; provided, however, that, unless waived for good cause shown by this Court upon the filing of a miscellaneous peti- tion requesting such relief: (1) In no instance shall a nonresident attorney be permitted to appear pro hac vice in more than three (3) cases or other proceedings in the State of Rhode Island within the five (5) year period preceding the filing of the miscellaneous petition; (2) A member of the bar of this state who is actively engaged in the practice of law out of an office located in this state must sign all pleadings, briefs, and other papers filed with the court, tribunal, commission, board, or agency, and shall assume Page 13 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 full responsibility for them and for the conduct of the cause and of the attorney to whom such privilege is accorded; and (3) The sponsoring attorney shall sign the miscellaneous petition, and the attor- ney seeking pro hac vice admission and the client (that is, the party named in the pleading) who will be represented by pro hac vice counsel shall sign certifications in support of the petition using the forms prescribed by the Clerk of the Supreme Court. The nonresident attorney shall, in the certification accompanying the petition, indicate the number of times the nonresident attorney has, within the five (5) years preceding the filing of the petition, appeared pro hac vice in a case or other proceed- ing in the State of Rhode Island, identifying the other cases or proceedings in which the nonresident attorney has been admitted pro hac vice. Unless the Supreme Court, the court granting pro hac vice admission, or the tribunal itself permits otherwise, any nonresident attorney who is granted such leave to practice before a particular tribunal shall not engage in any proceeding, hearing, or trial therein unless there is present in the courtroom or hearing room for the duration of the proceeding, hearing, or trial a member of the bar of Rhode Island who shall be prepared to continue with the proceeding, hearing, or trial in the absence of the nonresident attorney who has been so granted leave. Good cause for according such privilege shall be limited to facts or circumstances affecting the personal or financial welfare of the client and not the attorney. Such facts may include but are not limited to the following: (i) A showing that the cause involves a complex field of law in which the non- resident attorney is a specialist; (ii) A long-standing attorney-client relationship; (iii) Lack of local counsel with expertise in the field involved; (iv) The existence of legal questions involving the law of a foreign jurisdiction; and (v) The need for extensive discovery proceedings in a foreign jurisdiction. Subject to the provisions of this rule, the following courts are delegated the au- thority to permit nonresident attorneys to participate in causes or appeals before them and before those state and municipal tribunals, courts, boards, and agencies from which an appeal or petition for review may be taken to that court: the Superior Court; the Family Court; the District Court; the Workers' Compensation Court; and the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. Nonresident attorneys who seek permission to par- ticipate before a state tribunal, commission, board or agency, or municipal court, commission, board, or agency shall file a miscellaneous petition for admission pro hac vice before the court to which an appeal is taken from that court, tribunal, com- mission, board, or agency. Page 14 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 A separate miscellaneous petition and filing fee shall be required of each attorney seeking pro hac vice admission, except where such admission is sought to represent a party in respect to a prior pending action, appeal, or other proceeding in the court from which admission pro hac vice is sought, in which event a motion in lieu of a miscellaneous petition may be filed within that action, appeal, or other proceeding with the required filing fee. Miscellaneous petitions seeking admission pro hac vice shall be filed in the re- spective courts using the Rhode Island Judiciary’s Electronic Filing System in ac- cordance with Article X of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules and the respective court rules of procedure. The most current forms for pro hac vice are located on the Judiciary’s website at www.courts.ri.gov under the heading of Public Resources, Forms. (b) Registration of In-House Counsel. An attorney who is employed by a corpo- ration or other entity at an office in this state, and who is a member in good standing of the bar of any other state but is not a member of the bar of this state, may be permitted to practice law in Rhode Island consistent with this rule upon electroni- cally filing the Petition for Registration as In-House Counsel available on the Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal and after satisfying this Court that the attorney is a member in good standing of said court. Attorneys who have previously failed the Rhode Island Bar Examination are not eligible for registration under this rule. Attorneys who fail the Rhode Island bar examination while temporarily admitted under this rule shall have their temporary admission immediately revoked. An in-house counsel shall be subject to Articles III (Disciplinary Procedures), IV (Periodic Registration of Attorneys and Mandatory Continuing legal Education Reg- ulations), and V (Rules of Professional Conduct) of these rules. An in-house counsel shall be permitted to practice law in this state but only on behalf of the corporation or other entity by which the in-house counsel is employed, its directors, officers, and employees in their respective official or employment capacities, and/or its com- monly owned or controlled organizational affiliates, except that an in-house counsel shall not appear in the courts of this state, and shall not appear in any agency or municipal proceeding that the attorney has reason to believe prior to the proceeding is contested unless the attorney is admitted pro hac vice pursuant to subsection (a) and any provisional orders of this Court. In-house counsel registered with the Court pursuant to this rule may provide pro bono legal services offered and supervised by the Rhode Island Bar Association. (c)(1) Senior Law Students. A senior law student in a law school accredited and approved by the American Bar Association may seek certification from the Supreme Court to appear without compensation on behalf of the state (including a subdivision thereof or a municipal corporation) or on behalf of indigent parties in criminal or civil proceedings in the District Court, in the Family Court, in the Rhode Island Page 15 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 Traffic Tribunal, in any municipal court (including probate or housing), or before any state or municipality administrative agency, board, or department, providing that the conduct of the case is under the general supervision of a member of the bar of this state who, as appropriate, is a regular or special assistant attorney general or municipality solicitor, or is employed by the Office of the Public Defender or any other state agency, or is associated with an organized and approved program provid- ing legal services to indigents which program is either funded in whole or in part by the federal government or by the Rhode Island Bar Foundation, or sponsored by a law school accredited and approved by the American Bar Association. (2) The term “general supervision” shall not be construed to require the attend- ance of the supervising attorney in court or before the tribunal. Where a supervising attorney is present, however, the supervising attorney shall have the right to partici- pate with the student in the proceedings at the supervising attorney’s discretion. Pro- vided further that no senior law student shall conduct a trial on the merits on behalf of an indigent defendant in the District or Family Courts unless the supervising at- torney is present to oversee the conduct of the proceedings. (3) The term “senior student” or “senior law student” shall mean a student who has completed successfully the equivalent of at least three (3) full-time semesters of the student’s course of law school study and who has completed or is enrolled in a course for credit in evidence or trial practice. Such student shall also secure the written approval by the dean of the student’s law school certifying to the student's good character, legal ability, and training. The dean's written approval shall be filed in respect to a student or group of students with the Clerk of the Supreme Court and shall remain in effect, unless withdrawn earlier, until the date of the first bar exami- nation following the student's graduation, and as to a student taking that examina- tion, until the announcement of the results thereof. For any student who passes that examination, the approval shall continue in effect until the date of the student’s ad- mission to the bar. (4) The justices of the Supreme Court or a justice of the Superior Court may, in the exercise of judicial discretion, permit a senior law student qualified and super- vised as provided in subsections (1) through (3) hereof, to appear without compen- sation on behalf of the state or an indigent party in a criminal or civil proceeding or appeal. The supervising attorney shall be present in the Supreme or Superior Court to oversee the conduct of the proceedings and may participate in the proceedings, either at the supervising attorney’s discretion or if required to do so by the Court in the interest of justice or to ensure the orderly administration of court business. (5) Any indigent party represented by a senior law student shall be informed at the commencement of the representation that the student is practicing pursuant to this rule. No student shall represent an indigent party in any proceeding in court or before any administrative agency, board, or department without the client's written Page 16 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 consent and, if the client is a child, without the written consent of the guardian ad litem, if any, as well. (6) The term “without compensation” used in this rule shall not be construed to make such senior law students ineligible to be paid as interns or work study partici- pants in the office of the Attorney General or the Public Defender wherein their compensation shall not depend in any way upon the number of cases, if any, in which they might be called upon to participate. Such programs, whether supported by fed- eral, state, or other funding resources shall not in any way be inhibited or adversely affected by any provisions of this rule. (7) Senior law students seeking certification under this rule shall electronically file the Petition for Senior Law Student Certification available on the Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal. Rule 10. Professional Service Corporations, Limited Liability Partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies (Limited Liability Entities). (a) Attorneys admitted to practice before this Court may engage in the practice of law in the form of professional service corporations as provided by the Profes- sional Service Corporation Law, G.L. 1956 §§ 7-5.1-1 to 7-5.1-12, as amended, pro- fessional service benefit corporations as provided by G.L. 1956 §§ 7-5.3-1 to 7-5.3- 13, as amended, registered limited liability partnerships as provided by the Uniform Partnership Act, G.L. 1956 §§ 7-12-31.1, 7-12.1-101 to 7-12.1-1204, as amended, or as limited liability companies as provided by the Rhode Island Limited Liability Company Act, G.L. 1956 §§ 7-16-1 to 7-16-75, as amended. (b) As used in this rule, the term “limited liability entity” shall include a profes- sional service corporation, a professional service benefit corporation, a registered limited liability partnership, and a limited liability company organized to practice law pursuant to the laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and which practices law in the State of Rhode Island. In order to practice law, a foreign limited liability entity must have one (1) or more attorneys who are licensed and in good standing to practice law in this state. (c) A limited liability entity may not engage in the practice of law unless and until it registers with the Secretary of State to operate as a limited liability entity and only so long as such registration remains in good standing. Limited liability entities shall indicate in the records of the Rhode Island Secretary of State that the purpose of the entity is to engage in the practice of law. (d) All shareholders, directors, and officers if the applicant is a professional ser- vice corporation or a professional service benefit corporation; all partners if the ap- plicant is a registered limited liability partnership; and all managers and members if the applicant is a limited liability company, must be an attorney authorized to Page 17 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 practice law and each attorney in the organization shall at all times be in good stand- ing in this state or, if licensed to practice elsewhere, in every state or jurisdiction in which the attorney is licensed. (e) In lieu of the limited liability entity licensure and annual registration require- ment, all attorneys practicing law in the corporate form will be required to notify the Court of their corporate practice as part of the annual attorney registration process. All limited liability entities practicing law in the state shall follow the standards of admission imposed upon individual attorneys. The limited liability entity shall com- ply with and be subject to all rules governing the practice of law by attorneys and it shall do nothing which, if done by an individual attorney, would violate the standard of professional conduct applicable to attorneys licensed to practice law in this state. Any violation of this rule by the limited liability entity shall be grounds for the Court to discipline it, including termination or suspension of its right to practice law. An attorney who, while acting as a shareholder, member, officer, director, manager, partner, agent, or employee of a limited liability entity engaged in the practice of law, violates or sanctions the violation of the provisions of the Professional Service Corporation Law, the provisions of G.L. 1956 §§ 7-5.3-1 to 7-5.3-13, as amended applicable to professional service benefit corporations, the provisions of the Uniform Partnership Act applicable to registered limited liability partnerships practicing law in Rhode Island, the provisions of the Rhode Island Limited Liability Company Act applicable to limited liability companies practicing law in Rhode Island or the rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Rhode Island relating to the practice of law, shall be subject to disciplinary action. (f) All limited liability entities practicing law in the state shall maintain profes- sional liability insurance in the aggregate amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) multiplied by the number of attorneys practicing law on behalf of the entity in the state as of the policy anniversary date; provided, however, that in no case shall the coverage be less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) but in no event shall the necessary coverage exceed a maximum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). Any policy for insurance coverage may include a deductible provision in any amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for each claim multiplied by the number of attorneys practicing law on behalf of the entity in the state as of the date of the issuance of the policy. (g) No attorney may be a shareholder, member, officer, director, manager, part- ner, or employee of any other limited liability entity engaged in the practice of law in this state without the prior written approval of this Court. (h) No shareholder, member, or partner of a limited liability entity practicing law shall enter into a voting trust, proxy, or any other agreement which will give an un- licensed person the authority to exercise the voting power of an ownership interest in said limited liability entity; provided, however, that a limited liability entity may Page 18 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 be a shareholder of a professional service corporation or a professional service ben- efit corporation, a member of a limited liability company or a partner of a registered limited liability partnership so long as all of the owners of such limited liability entity are otherwise licensed hereunder. Any such agreement shall be void. (i) If a shareholder, member, or partner dies or becomes ineligible, the entity shall: (1) Redeem the interest of the shareholder, member, or partner unless prohibited by law from accomplishing such redemption, or (2) Cause the interest of the shareholder, member, or partner to be purchased by an eligible person or persons, or (3) If neither of the foregoing is accomplished within nine (9) months from that date that the ineligibility occurred, then the corporation's authority to practice shall terminate and the shareholders, members, or partners shall promptly take all steps necessary to cause the dissolution and liquidation of the entity. Nothing in this rule is intended to prevent the payment for interests in the entity redeemed or purchased over any period of time that is agreed upon by the parties. (4) The entity and the ineligible shareholder, member, or partner shall have three (3) months from the date that the ineligibility occurs to agree on the fair market value of such interest. If no agreement is reached within such three (3) month period, the entity shall apply to the Court for appointment of three (3) qualified persons, as pro- vided by G.L. 1956 § 7-5.1-5, to determine the fair market value; they shall report their decision within six (6) months of the date that the ineligibility occurred. (5) The Court may, upon a showing of good cause, extend any of the time periods provided by this rule. (6) The shares of an ineligible shareholder, member, or partner shall not be voted for any purpose, nor shall they be counted in determining a quorum or the number of votes required for action by the entity. (j) Any partner of a registered limited liability partnership or member of a limited liability company who dies or becomes ineligible to be a partner or member and the executor, administrator, or other legal representative of a deceased partner or mem- ber shall be required to dispose of the partnership or membership interest as soon as reasonably possible either to the entity or to an individual or entity duly qualified to be a partner or member of the entity; provided, however, that nothing in this rule shall affect the terms and timing of payments as may be set forth in a partnership agreement, operating, or similar agreement to which such partner or member is a party. (k) The name of every limited liability entity engaged in the practice of law shall comply with Article V, Rule 7.5. The name shall end with the words “corporation,” “incorporated,” “limited,” or “professional corporation,” or the abbreviations “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” or “P.C.” (in the case of a professional corporation or a Page 19 of 21 Revised January 6, 2026 professional service benefit corporation), the words “limited liability company” or “professional limited liability company” or the abbreviations “l.l.c” or “p.l.l.c.” in upper or lower case and with or without punctuation (in the case of a limited liability company) or “limited liability partnership” or the abbreviations “LLP” or “L.L.P.,” (in the case of a partnership) or such other similar words or abbreviations as may be required or authorized by the laws of the jurisdiction where the limited liability company is formed or the partnership is registered.